Extensible brace.



A. PONTON.

EXTENSIBLE BRACE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23. 1915.

l 1 86,606. I Patent-ed June 13, 1916.

Mlm 16154 :f *cwz 71m ARTHUR PONTON, yF MURDOCK, ILLINOIS.

EXT'ENSIBLE BRACE.

Application filed June 23, 1915.

To all fw hom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR FoN'roN, a

citizen of the United States, residing atl Murdock, in the county of Douglas and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extensible Braces, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an eXtensible jack arm for use in connection with the spuds or anchoring means of dredges, ditching machines, and the like, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby the jack arm can be made longer or shorter so as to enable the spud to be used in the most effective manner under varying conditions.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an extensible jack arm which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be quickly lengthened or shortened as may be desired, which can be rigidly locked in an adjusted position, and which can be used in connection with the ordinary spuds.

lith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawing, in which 2 Figure l is a side elevation of an eXtension jack arm, constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the manner of applying the same to a spud leg and dredge scow. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the extension jack arm. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof, and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 41E- 4 of Fig. 3.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a fragmentary portion of the hull of a dredging scow which may be of the conventional construction. A spud frame 2 projects upwardly from the side of the hull 1 of the scow, and has a suitable sliding connection with a spud leg 3 which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June f3, i916.

Serial No. 35,806.

has a spud foot l of the conventional construction secured to the lower end thereof by y a suitable joint 5a. The lower end of the spud leg 3 is connected to the base of the spud frame 2 by a jack arm A which is constructed in accordance with the present invention and is peculiarly designed so as to be susceptible of use in the most edective manner under varying conditions. All of the construction, with the exception of this jack arm A, is of the conventional form, and no claim is made to any novelty therein.

The connection between the spud leg 3 and the top of the spud frame 2 may be of l any suitable form, although for the purpose of illustration the spud leg is shown as sliding through a guide keeper 5 which is pivoted on a shaft 6, said shaft carrying a pinion 7 which meshes with a rack 8 on the lower surface of the spud leg. Power may be applied .in any suitable manner to the shaft 6 for rotating the pinion 7 to slide the spud leg 3 in and out through the guide keeper 5, and the spud leg may be freely swung toward and away from the scow l so as to occupy any desired angular position.

The ordinary jack arm connecting the spud leg to the spud frame is of a standard length and will only allow the spud leg to go down a limited amount. If the bottom of the river or channel upon which the machine is working can not then be reached, the operator must either suspend dredging operations and await low water, or build cribbing. The use of cribbing not only entails much additional labor and expense, as well as a loss of time, but is very unsatisfactory, for the reason that the spuds seldom obtainy a firm bearing upon the cribbing. The use of the present eXtensible jack arm will solve this difficulty and overcome the difficulty, since the length of the jack arm can be quickly regulated to admit of the spuds being set in any position within reach of the spud legs.

The jack arm A includes a pair of telescoping members 9 and 10 which are so constructed asY to be readily locked in any adjusted position. The member 9 has a tubular formation, being rectangular in cross section and provided at one end thereof with a pair of extensions l0a which are connected by a pivot bolt 11 to one of the members, such as the spud frame 2. The opposite telescoping member 9 may be formed of channel iron, and is of such a size as to fit snugly within the tubular member 10, the outer end of the channel shaped member being formedwith extensions 12, similar to the extensions 10a ofthe member 9, and pivotally connected by means of a bolt 13 to; the spud leg 3.

A longitudinally extending rack bar 14: is secured to the inner telescoping member 10 and arranged within the channel portion thereof. A slot l5 is formed'in the tubular member 9 directly opposite the rac-k bar 14C and bifurcated brackets 1G are secured to the member 9 at opposite ends of the slotl `with the bifurcations thereof in alinement withv the slot. A removable locking key 17 is formed with a toothed wing 17a adapted to project through the slot 15 of the member 9 into engagement with the rack bar 14 of the channel member 10 so as to lock the .two telescoping members in an adjusted position. Opposite ends of the locking key 17 are formed with perforated ears 17b adapted to fit within the bifurcations of the brackets 16 and to be engaged by retaining pins 18 extending through the arms of the bifurcations.- After the channel member 10 has been adjusted within the tubular member 9 to impart the proper length to the jack arm, the locking key 17 is placed in position and the retaining pins 18 inserted 1. An extensible brace for dredge spuds 'i of the class described including a pair of telescoping members provided with means Copies of this patent may be. obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissloner for attachment to' the spudarm and sp'ud leg respectively, one` of said members having f a tubular formation and being provided with a longitudinal slot, while the opposite 5( member is provided with a rack bar arranged to move under the slot of the tubular Y member, brackets projecting from the tubular member at opposite ends of the slot therein, a removable locking key having ears at the 5 ends thereof and formed with Va toothed wngadapte'd to extend through the slot ofk the tubularfmember into engagementwith the rack of the channel member to lock the two telescoping members-.in an adjusted position, and means for securing the ears of the looking key to thefbrackets of the tubular member to retain the locking key in position.

2. An extensiblel brace for dredge spu'ds 65 a tubular vformation and being Vprovided with a longitudinal slot while the opposite member has a channel formation and tele-y scopes within the tubular member, a rack bar appli-ed to the channel memberk so as to move under Vthe slotof the tubular member, 75

bifurcated brackets projecting from the tubular member at opposite ends ofthe slot therein, a locking key formed with a toothed wing'adapted to extendl through the slot of the tubular member into er1-"80v gagement with the rack of the channel member to lock the two telescoping members in an adjustedposition, said key being'formed with ears which are seatedwithin thebifurcations of the brackets, and mea-nsfor engaging the ears to lock the key in position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. i

Y ARTHUR PONTON. iVitnesses: Y Y

Y G. E. MCQUEEN,

A. DRAGOE.

01' Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

